Four troops killed as chopper escorting Musharraf crashes

Islamabad, Oct 8 (UNI) At least four security officials were killed and several others, including presidential spokesman Major General(Retd) Rashid Qureshi, injured when an escort army helicopter of President Pervez Musharraf crashed near Muzaffarabad today.

Confirming the crash, chief military spokesman Major General Waheed Arshad said here that the MI-17 helicopter was among one of the choppers which escorted Gen Musharraf to Muzaffarabad.

Gen Musharraf went to Muzaffarabad to attend a special ceremony that marked the second anniversary of the October 8, 2005 devastating earthquake that killed 73,000 people and rendered more than 3.5 million people homeless in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and parts of the country's Northwestern Frontier Province.

Sources said President Musharraf was safe.

UNI